1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an environmental management information system, and, more particularly, to a system, method, recording medium, and computer data signal, for providing and/or recording environmental management information, for collecting information regarding various environmental impacts at an organization (company, corporation, etc.), and for keeping an amount of investment and environmental effects in equilibrium in the management of the organization, so as to contribute to the environmental conservation.
2. Description of the Related Art
To leave the earth with a full of nature and green to the future generations, it is essential to reduce bad effects (environmental impacts) on the environment. Hence, activities for reducing the environmental impacts are done at various organizations, such as companies, public organizations and the like.
To minimize the environmental impacts with high efficiency, it is important to know the environmental impacts at activities of the organization. For example, it is necessary to obtain the environmental impacts at the time of supplying materials or parts and at the time of fabricating products, using the idea of Eco-Balance, or to obtain the environmental impacts (those environmental impacts at each operational process) in the life cycle of products according to LCA (Life Cycle Assessment).
Conventionally, there is no system for accurately obtaining the environmental impacts at the activities of the organization. Thus, in many case, the environmental conservation activities are done on the impulse or by individuals who personally care about the environment at the organization.
It is impossible to invest an unlimited amount of money for the environmental conservation activities. Hence, it is desired that a maximum level of environmental effects can be achieved with a minimum amount of investment, further that certain economical benefit can be obtained.
However, the amount of investment (expenses) required for the environmental conservation activities at the organization and the effects thereof can not easily be shown on the financial analysis, and hence can not objectively be analyzed. Therefore, while promoting the environmental conservation activities at the organization, there has been a lack of information for determining how much amount of investment should be made to a particular field of the activities.